


Our Last Days

by knavessofhearts



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 05:43:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6226225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knavessofhearts/pseuds/knavessofhearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Word has spread through all the kingdoms of a powerful curse that will rip everyone from this land, and be trapped forever in an unknown and dangerous world. A cowardly spinner, teams up with a mysterious maid, who vows to help him find the love of his life and he to help her find a way home. With only 3 weeks until the end of the world, will they be able to achieve their deal and reunite with their families? The road to finding family is not easy, and along the way the two encounter perilous danger and face old & new enemies. The two draw closer, becoming the most unlikely of partners then friends."</p><p>(A Rumbelle remake of the film 'Seeking A Friend For The End of The World)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Before

Usually, they ate their dinner outside, Rumplestiltskin would carry the blanket for them to sit on, and Baelfire always insisted on carrying the food basket. Even when he was barely old enough to walk, and could barely hold up the picnic basket, he had always wanted to feel useful and carry the basket. Eventually, as he grew older, Baelfire started carrying both the blanket and the basket. Rumplestiltskin thought his son did so because he saw how hard his father worked all day, how sore his leg was by the time the sun set. He loved his boy more than words could ever express for his unquestioned kindness, to carry his father’s burdens whenever he could.  

It had become their tradition, to eat under the stars in the field by their little cottage. Rumplestiltskin often believed it had been started because Milah could not stand to be inside their tiny cottage for any more time than she absolutely had to- and this was her way to escape, to feel free. Eventually, she did just that.

As much as he wanted to hate her for leaving and abandoning their son, he understood why she ran away, why she left them behind. It didn’t stop him from silently blaming her, the only blame he was brave enough to conjure.  He hid his anger and guilt from his son, and they maintained the tradition even when Bae couldn’t remember how it started. He was so young when Milah left, and he stopped asking his father about her some years ago, Baelfire understood it was just the two of them now- and that was more than enough.

Tonight, they didn’t eat outside.  
The windows remained boarded and only one candle lit, that sat on their table and illuminated a small circle in their little home. Bae sat in the limited light, drawing with some charcoal Rumplestiltskin had been able to procure for his birthday present. He sat at his wheel, spinning away mindlessly as they both tried to ignore the hunger in their bellies. The only food they had left had been eaten for breakfast, and their door remained barred, preventing them from being able to fetch anything for dinner.

Rumplestiltskin began to idly hum under his breath when the screaming and the fighting grew louder, trying to block the noise from his son’s already frightened ears. Outside, through the thin and ragged curtains that shrouded the windows- Rumplestiltskin could see the flames of torches racing past, and the mobs of ruthless, thoughtless men that followed them.

The senseless, irrational reaction of mobs made Rumplestiltskin grind his teeth and clench his fists. He would never understand why: when the first wave of news that the world was ending, the masses decided to group together and destroy, steal, plunder and pillage. Why did impending doom always bring out the worst in everyone and give reason to immoral actions? All Rumplestiltskin could do, was look at his son, who was barely 13, and realise he was never see 14. Despite Rumplestiltskin’s limitations in life, he had always imagined greater things for Bae, to save him from the life he had growing up. Yesterday, all their hopes and dreams had been robbed away.

The lord of Rumplestiltskin’s town had announced yesterday to the masses; the Evil Queen had declared in 21 days, she would enact a dark & powerful curse which would rip everyone from this world and be thrown into the unknown. It was the end…that was all everyone needed to know. There would be nothing after this curse, it was the end of the world.

 Rumplestiltskin’s reaction had been simply to close his eyes and breathe deeply for a moment, pay the merchant for his purchase and limp home. Baelfire met him at the door, already having heard the news and now waiting for his father’s reaction. Saving him from giving his son another impossible speech, Bae hugged his father like he hadn’t since he was a small boy, as they tried to come to terms with what had happened. After a moment and a handful of tears shed, they went inside and made lunch.

His son was looking to him for how to react now, Rumplestiltskin knew this, and so he carefully went about the day as if nothing out of the usual was happening, mindful not to rush, or to fret, to leave their door unlocked as usual and above all- fight his overwhelming compulsion to _run._ Baelfire knew what was going through his father’s mind, and still remained calm, employing the same tactic his father was trying on him. If I am calm, he will be calm, if I am sad, he is sad.  Running was pointless anyway, Rumplestiltskin concluded. There was no outrunning the end of the world.

Their mutual calm shattered once night fell, and the rest of the town began to panic. Then they locked their door and placed a chair under the handle, covered the windows and kept themselves huddled in the centre of their small, defenceless home. Rumplestiltskin prayed the looters would overlook their rundown, penniless hut- regardless; he kept his cane very close to his wheel. And next to the cane, the axe Bae used for chopping wood.

This was only the second night since word of the curse had reached their ears, and already Rumplestiltskin feared for his son’s safety amidst the violence that had already erupted outside. It was inevitable that the evil outside wouldn’t leave them be, they were basically defenceless. What chance did the town coward, the crippled spinner, have of protecting his son? They all might have been sentenced to almost certain death in 3 weeks, but Rumplestiltskin had vowed to himself that his son would live for each of those days, he would give him every day he could. He couldn’t imagine living a single day with his son gone. No parent was meant to see that day, ever.

The shouting grew louder, and Baelfire jumped when there was a rattling on the door. Rumplestiltskin stood from his stool with a jolt, ignoring the shooting pain from his ankle and stared anxiously at the door. The rioting sounded as though it was now residing on their very doorstep, drunken and fearful villagers trying to find a way to survive through taking the lives and means of others. Rumplestiltskin reached for the axe, his fingers curling around the wood before the commotion died down once again and moved away. His hand relaxed and left the axe in its resting place, Rumplestiltskin turned his head at Bae’s shaky sigh of relief. He instead grabbed his staff, and made his way across the short distance to sit next to Bae at the table in the candlelight.

“Oh, it’s alright Bae.” He soothed his son and patted his hair as Bae took in two more deep breaths. Bae was almost grown up, but at the slightest hint of fear he seemed so vulnerable and frightened as if he were the tiny child who asked his father what was under his bed. It pained Rumplestiltskin’s heart.

He kissed the top of his son’s head and limped back over to the other side of the room and continued his work. Bae eventually picked back up the charcoal and scratched away. He wished he could be brave for Bae, to show courage and bravery in order for him to hold on to his own. How in the world were they going to survive this? This shabby house had been their sanctuary for so long, the only place Rumplestiltskin felt wanted and needed, and able to protect. Where could possibly be safe if their home was no longer?

 “Bae...” Rumplestiltskin began, his son dropping the charcoal and turned all his attention to him, waiting intently. “Do you remember that summer we went to sell wool in the kingdom by the sea? We stayed with my old friend- the hatter and his daughter, Grace.” Bae nodded in understanding, standing to sit on the stool next to his father’s wheel, and waited for his father to elaborate.

Before Bae had been born, Rumplestiltskin would make the trip to the kingdom every year to sell his creations at their yearly festival. The money he could make there could cover almost 6 months of food for him and Milah. But once Baelfire was born, and his leg damaged, Rumplestiltskin found it more difficult to make the journey. It took 3 days to journey there, and the festival went for two weeks. Rumplestiltskin could barely go 3 weeks without seeing his son and knowing he was being looked after well. Once Milah had left, the trip to the sea village became more of a necessity as their money dried up. Rumplestiltskin left Bae with one of the few families who didn’t look at him with disdain for being the town coward. Bae was friends with their daughter, Morraine, and Rumplestiltskin often gave the wife wool to make clothes in return.

When Baelfire was ten, he begged his father to take him along the journey to help. As much as Rumplestiltskin thought it a bad idea to bring him on the open road, Rumplestiltskin often needed a whole week to recover after the journey due to the strain he placed on his ankle. Bae was much older now as well, and smart enough to know not to wander off. With Baelfire, the burden would be less, and his son wanted to help him, to spend time with him.  Baelfire had never been more excited, declaring it an adventure and they the heroes exploring the lands. It had been Rumplestiltskin’s favourite festival that year, and the one that followed.

“Do you remember the way there? How to get to their home from here?” Rumplestiltskin asked Bae, pulling himself out of his memories.

“I remember.” Bae said confidently, “Why?”

 “If anything happens to me...if we ever get separated- I want you to meet me there. If you can’t find me, I want you to get there as soon as you can and wait for me there. We cannot stay here, Bae. It is not safe for us anymore, Jefferson will offer shelter to us, we can be safe there, son. Just remember…if anything happens, wait for me, Bae. Do you promise?” Rumplestiltskin looked forlornly into Bae’s eyes.

“Yes, Papa. I promise.”

“And I promise I will find you if we get separated, I won’t ever leave you, son.” He vowed, Bae wrapping his arms around his father.

The two did not retire to their beds that night, instead they relived another tradition that night, one they hadn’t done since Bae was a child. They lay by the fire on a thick and warm sheepskin rug, resting against the wall and watching the flames dancing and casting shadows. Rumplestiltskin would sit there with little Bae when he couldn’t get the wee child to sleep, and entertain him with stories. The flames acting as the puppets and he the marionette until Bae’s eyes closed. That night, Rumplestiltskin told two full stories and Bae told his father three before he fell asleep leaning on his father’s shoulder. Rumplestiltskin didn’t sleep, instead he watched the door and kept his hand firmly on his walking stick- ready and fearful to fend off any evil that tried to take away his son.


	2. After

 

The next day, the panic of the night had temporarily ceased, but Rumplestiltskin knew it was only the calm before another storm that the second night would bring. The door remained locked, and inside the tiny homestead, Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire packed their few and scarce belongings. They would not be able to carry much, but they did not have much to start off with anyway. Rumplestiltskin took the chance, around midday, to sneak into town and find some food, any food, for their journey. Luckily, he went unnoticed, but the destruction and carnage he saw the townspeople had inflicted onto each other and the town hung heavily on Rumplestiltskin when he returned home. Baelfire packed his charcoal, a leather bounded book of blank pages, the shawl his mother gave him as a baby, his few clothes and childhood toy his father made him. A knight carved from wood. 

That night, after they ate a simple supper, they would leave this place and never come back. It was the only home either of them had ever known, but it wasn’t safe anymore, nowhere would be safe now, but he had to give his son his best chance at surviving these final days. Rumplestiltskin held onto the thin stray of hope that his old friend would be able to offer them shelter until the end came. For once they left this place, there would be no going back to any form of safety. Only treading blindly through danger and uncertainty.    

After their supper, Rumplestiltskin let Baelfire sleep by the fire for a few hours as they waited, against his protests. But Rumplestiltskin wanted him to have the last possible hours of safe sleep he could offer his son before they left. Baelfire fell asleep before the turmoil outside recommenced for its second night, and so slept blissfully as Rumplestiltskin guarded over him. He kept careful count of the time, waiting for that fleeting hour between night and dawn when the rioting would die off and the coast would be clear.

The hour arrived, and Rumplestiltskin regrettably awoke his son with a soft shake of his shoulder. They tied their capes firmly around their neck, and collected their bags before departing the little cottage without looking back.   
Rumplestiltskin kept Bae firmly beside him at all times, one hand always on his son’s shoulder making sure he was there, and watching out of the corner of his eyes for the slightest hint at a disturbance into the eerie stillness every step they took. He held onto his limited courage the second they stepped out of the safety of their home, and refused to release it or let himself lose his concentration.

Their home was on the outskirts of town, and so they must pass through the desolate market square to head towards the forest path. The Kings Road was to be avoided at all costs; luckily Rumplestiltskin had a great knowledge of all the minor and hidden paths that could take them anywhere, or to the sea. If they could just make it out of the town, and away from the masses of panicking people, they would be okay. Rumplestiltskin the Coward knew a thing or two about avoiding people and making yourself invisible to avoid being attacked; all they needed was to get away. To get to relative safety.

Passing through the main street of the town proved the easiest part, it was when they came across the road that led to the tavern that they met their roadblock. The tavern was overrun with drunken looters, now parading the streets- throwing lit torches into buildings and punching anyone down in their way. Rumplestiltskin tried to react as quickly as his broken limb would allow and return the way they came, but they were blindsided as they turned around to see a wave of villagers running towards the drunk with weapons and angry taunts- Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire caught in between. He grabbed Bae’s hand and screamed at him to not let go, no matter what- and the two ran as fast as they could to avoid the stampede of people.

They ushered themselves to the side of the street where they took shelter behind a fallen cart. Out of sight, they watched as the two masses of villagers came clashing together- spears and pitchforks against slabs of wood and bottles of whiskey. Rumplestiltskin searched from their cornered refuge for a way out, but only found more pitchforks. Amidst the chaos and bloodshed, Rumplestiltskin spotted a lump of purple fabric lying crumpled below the feet of the villagers- not realising until it was kicked and rolled over, that it was a person. Clearly injured, they were unable to stand as each time they tried, they were knocked down again by the violence happening right above them. 

As they sat up once more, missing a boot to the head by inches, Rumplestiltskin realised it was a young, brown haired woman with huge, fear-filled eyes and a bloodied lip. She held her arm above her head to try to block the oblivious aggression of the people around her, and her eyes met his across the street, silently begging for salvation. He felt compelled to help her, as she was once again pushed to the ground and the fighting escalated, she cut her hand on a shard of glass on the stone ground, and he could see the panic rising in her eyes. Rumplestiltskin knew she would die if somebody didn’t help her, and nobody else saw the poor woman’s plight but him. Rumplestiltskin stood from behind the cart, Baelfire immediately pulling at his sleeve to get him back down.

“Papa, no!”

“It’s alright, Bae. Stay here, I have to go help that woman!” Bae nodded, his lip trembling as he shrunk back down behind the cart.

“Just stay here, son! Don’t move and I’ll be back for you- I swear.” Rumplestiltskin vowed, giving his son a swift kiss on his forehead before he hobbled into the brutal struggle. He was only feet from the girl, when a man who reeked of alcohol lunged towards Rumplestiltskin with a blind throw of his spear. He blocked the spear with his staff, that proved its sturdiness as he was able to push the spear away and then thrust it into the man’s chest, sending him to the ground and taking down two men behind him. Rumplestiltskin barely had enough time to register what he had just done, when he was met with more violence he had to swiftly dodge and fight off. Rumplestiltskin's only experience with fighting was with those who sought to bully him for his weakness, and he had never been able to fight back. Now, adrenaline coursed through him, to get to the woman, to save her in order to find his way back to his son. With a few hasty steps, Rumplestiltskin was now able to reach out his arm for the woman to take, who took no hesitation at grabbing the lifeline he offered. Relying on his staff to pull both their weight, he brought the woman to her feet, and pulled her to him and out of the bloody conflict. She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as Bae had clung to him before, and together they hustled away from the brawl.

Once they were a safe distance away, and no one looking towards them, he pulled the woman away from him slightly as she began to calm down.

“Are you alright?” he asked her, and she looked down at herself.

“I think so,” she said out of breath. Her only visible injury appeared to be a broken lip, staining her chin with blood. “Thank you. You-you saved my life!”

“It’s no matter,” he assured her, “As long as you’re alright.” With his arms still steadying the shaken girl, he began to search their surroundings and determine their location from the cart Rumplestiltskin had left Bae; it was on the other side of the bloodbath they had just escaped from. From where he stood, Rumplestiltskin could not see Bae. He felt his blood run cold and his heart raced.

“I have to go, I’m sorry I have to find someone.” Rumplestiltskin hastily told the woman, and did not wait for her reply before he ran head back into the violence. Not caring if he was struck down by an errant axe or broken bottle, he had to get back to Bae. It took him a manner of seconds to reach the cart again, and once he was there, Rumplestiltskin felt his heart stop. His bag he had left with Bae lay forgotten, next to his sons pack, and Baelfire nowhere near. Rumplestiltskin raced back from behind the cart to survey the war around him, searching desperately to see a little boy caught amongst the scuffle calling his name. But all he heard was the shouting of men and glass breaking. He began to run.

“BAE! BAE!

_BAE!!!”_

He dropped his staff some time ago, and now the pain in his leg began to catch up with his fear of losing Bae, and he fell to the ground. He was still calling out his name, even as his voice began to break, doing his best to regain his footing. In the end he ended up crawling frantically, searching for his son. He couldn’t have gone far, unless someone had taken him, if someone had hurt him....

He had left him alone for no more than a minute, and he was gone. Rumplestiltskin failed. His sole purpose was to protect his son, and he had failed. He continued to shout Bae’s name as loud as he could, in the hopes Baelfire would hear him; until a boot to his temple cut off his scream, and everything went dark and cold.


	3. A New Friend

 

When Rumplestiltskin next opened his eyes, the morning light shone above the trees. He realised he was laying by a fallen tree in the forest with no memory of how he got there and a shooting pain on the side of head. He reached up to hold his hand to the side of his head, and felt dried, caked blood matted along his hairline. For a moment, all he could register was pain, then the events of the night before flooded back in. The town, the tavern, masses of angry people, Bae hiding by the cart, the frightened woman, Bae. Bae. 

Rumplestiltskin sat up swiftly, and almost fell back to the floor as his vision blurred violently.

"Hey, Hey! It's okay, you're okay. It's just me." a soft voice ushered and he felt small hands on his shoulders gently push him back to his makeshift bed on the forest floor. Rumplestiltskin blinked a few times and the pain dulled slightly, enough for his vision to return and he saw the face of the woman from last night, crouching beside him holding a rag. 

"You...you're the woman I saved." Rumplestiltskin registered, and she smiled. Even though her lip was bruised strikingly, and a fresh cut resided just above her eyebrow, her face shone with grace and elegance. 

"And now it is my turn to save you. Here, for your head." She said as she showed him the rag, Rumplestiltskin nodded in understanding and the woman began to clean the dried off blood from his temple. 

"I saw what happened to you, and I used your staff to fight some people off to get to you. You did regain consciousness enough for me to get you out of the town to here, but then you blacked out again." the woman explained as she cleaned his wound, before taking clean strips of white cloth and tying them around his head. Rumplestiltskin noticed her purple tartan cloak was sitting on a log across from them, next to his belongings. She wore a purple dress that matched the vibrancy of her cloak, slightly shorter than couture and tall riding boots. An outfit one would wear for great distance travelling, and not cheap.

"Who are you?" Rumplestiltskin asked as she offered him some bread.

"I'm a maid, I was travelling through your village last night. I'm returning to my household to serve my masters in their final days." She told him and she picked at the piece of her own bread. Rumplestiltskin scoffed.

"What?!"

"You are most certainly not a maid, my lady. The cloak you possess, is most definitely not from my village, or any village of this size. Trust me, I would know. I couldn't afford to make something like that in my entire lifetime." 

The woman looked sheepishly at her cloak beside her and her fancy dress and shoes, before fidgeting with her cloak's hem.

"Who are you?" Rumplestiltskin repeated, and the woman looked up at him with almost fear. 

"My name is Belle, my father is the Lord of Avonlea." she confessed, and Rumplestiltskin couldn't help his eyes from bulging. It was dangerous for a young woman of any kind of title to be travelling alone through the outskirts of a kingdom in normal times, let alone the end of the world. 

"It certainly is a dangerous thing to admit during times like these..." he mused, and Belle bowed her head. The two ate in silence before Belle fetched them some water, and after eating a morsel Rumplestiltskin felt marginally stronger. Though, from the pain still eminating from his head, he still needed an hour or so to recover. 

"What's your name?" Belle asked him suddenly, having realised he never told her.

"Rumplestiltskin." 

"Rumpleshiltskin?"

"No, No it's Rumple _stilt_ sk....just call me Rumple."  

"Rumple, I can't thank you enough for saving me, last night. I would have surely died if you hadn't helped me. If there is anything I can do to repay you, I will do it. I just....thank you." Belle said sincerely, and Rumple smiled acceptingly. She was a kind hearted woman, sincere in her feelings. But Rumple couldn't waste a second more. He had to start moving. 

"Thank you for returning the favour and saving mine, truly I am grateful. But I must go now, I have to keep moving." He stood shakily with the help of his cane beside him, and Belle rushed over to help.

"What? You can't leave you were hurt!"

"I have to find someone, Belle." Rumple pleaded, "I lost them last night and the longer I stall my expedition the less chance I have of finding them again."

"You...lost someone. Someone you love." Belle's faced dawned with realisation, Rumple nodded and suddenly Belle's eyes filled with tears. 

"Because of me! You were separated from the person you love because of me!" Rumple hobbled over to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It was not your fault, we were separated, but i cannot stay. Your concern is appreciated Lady Belle, but I cannot waste any more time." Rumple, picked up his bags and started to walk towards the pathway. He barely made it onto the gravel road before he turned aorund to see Belle fastening her cloak and gathering her own supplies, before confidentially trotting to walk beside him.

"What....are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you." Belle said firmly, "I'm going to help you find who you're looking for. It is the least I can do after you saved my life! This is how I can repay you! I can't be the reason your last days with the one you love are gone!" 

Rumple was lost for words, for he couldn't refuse her offer or turn her away. It was her decision to do as she desired. She had already repaid his good act by caring for him, if she helped him find Bae, he would be in her debt. 

"I cannot pay you for helping me, and I can't keep you from the ones you love either, Belle." Rumple said, and couldn't help but notice her eyes flash with sorrow at those words.

"That won't be a problem, even if the world wasn't ending I have no way of getting to them. Avonlea is all the way on the other side of Misthaven. Six months ago I began travelling to from one end of the Enchanted Forest to the other, I was meant to begin returning home when news of the curse broke. The only way I could get back to my family now would be by a magic bean!" Belle explained with defeat, thinking all hope was lost. Rumplestiltskin fought the urge to bite his tongue, for what were the chances. He needed this woman's help, and the one thing she was seeking, and he was one of the only people in this realm who could actually grant that wish. 

"I can get you a magic bean, to return you to your family." Belle's face exploded with happiness at his revelation, and Rumplestiltskin continued. "In exchange for you helping me, I can get you home to your family before the world ends."   


Belle smiled at him so widely he thought her face would crack in two, before she threw her arms around him and almost knocked his cane to the ground at her sudden movement.

"Thank you! Thank you so so much, Rumple!" He patted her back slightly, unsure of how to deal with this woman's rather friendly nature, before she released him and smiled again.

"It's no matter, no matter at all." 

"So...where to now?" Belle asked coyly, and Rumplestiltskin pointed south. 


End file.
